American scientists at Purdue University found that some species of pigs have unexpected cognitive abilities, and taught them to play video games with a joystick. The research results are published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.
The experiment involved two Yorkshire pigs Hamlet and Omelet, as well as two Ebony and Ivory micro pigs of the Panepinto breed.
First, they taught animals to approach the monitor and control the joystick in the face. The animals were then shown how to play a video game, the goal of which was to move the cursor to four different walls on the screen. All four pigs understood the task, their cognitive performance was “on par with non-human primates,” but agility was much lower.
“It is not easy for an animal to realize that the action it performs has an impact on the situation elsewhere. That pigs can do this to some degree should make us think about what else they can learn and how this learning might affect them, ”said lead study author Dr. Candace Croney, University professor. Purdue and director of the Center for Animal Welfare Science.
Earlier in February, entrepreneur Elon Musk reported on the successful chipping of the monkey. Neuralink has a monkey with a wireless brain implant that can play video games with it.
In August 2020, Musk revealed that his company Neuralink had successfully chipped pigs. Engineers managed to implant the implant into the animals' brains, and then remove it without harm to their health. Using the chip, scientists were able to monitor the activity of the tactile centers of the animal's brain via a wireless communication channel.
